


The Omega's Choice

by Violet_Rose



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone, Alpha Rick, Alpha Shane, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anger, Betrayal, Hurt, M/M, Omega Daryl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 03:09:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3553817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violet_Rose/pseuds/Violet_Rose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*Title may change*  Daryl has been fighting off his heats for a year now with the suppressants being in extremely short supply.  Now living in Alexandria, being surrounded by alphas and betas, his heats seem to be coming on more frequent and lasting for longer periods of time.  So Daryl makes a choice that will change the fate of his life as well as that of the rest of his entire family, for better or worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Omega's Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ya'll! So many people were so very upset with the way I routed Lifeline. They were really hoping for a 3some, but it just wasn't in the cards for that fic. So now, I bring you this one. I loved the A/B/O dynamics and wanted to dip my toes into its proverbial lake as well as push my fics forward into the current timeline. I haven't seen the second half of the new season (I'm bitter over hearing about the death of one of my favorite characters- no not Beth, I rejoiced over that one) so I'm winging it here based off why people have told me. Eventually I'll get around to the newest episodes. Please let me know what you think! This is my first A/B/O fic so please for the love of God tell me if I got something wrong!

Daryl hated himself. He hated biology, chemistry, and everything that came with it. But what he hated most was fucking hormones. He was pretty certain those fell under both biology _and_ chemistry, but he wasn’t sure. The time in school he was supposed to be taking those classes, he had started presenting and his brother had yanked him out. Said nothing good ever came from an educated omega anyway. Daryl had just agreed and done as told because his brother was an alpha and that was what he was supposed to do.

Now here he was, tromping through the woods, surrounded by betas and alphas, lost from his mate and his brother. His mate was no big loss. He was a man that just so happened to be there at the right time that Daryl was revolting from his brother and dumb enough to not take his heat suppressants. The look on Merle’s face when he had seen the claim mark on his neck was burned into his skull. It was a salty mix of disappointment, anger, and sadness, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it, ‘cept make sure that he didn’t produce any offspring for the asshole. At least he didn’t treat him like shit like both Dixons had suspected was going to happen. Actually, he pretty much just came around once a day to check on his omega and use his “right” whenever he wanted. Daryl and Merle had been just fine with that.

The claim mark didn’t burn anymore. In fact, it was fading, almost nonexistent now. He didn’t have the longing or the intense despair of being separated from his alpha, but to everyone around him he was still owned property. It was convenient in that the other alphas did not just assume that he was going to roll over for them. That was something that Merle had beat into his head growing up. No matter how he presented, he would be able to fight and provide for himself. However, his heat suppressants had worn off. They had _been_ worn off. These men protected and fought for him, keeping him safe from other groups that had sniffed him out, seeking the omega in heat.

It felt like it had been years, but it had only been 18 months. Daryl’s heat had taken him on hard this month, his body was in a full out temper tantrum at not having a mate. The looks of the other men in their group had gotten longer, more hungry, but Rick had barked them off. Telling them to respect his space, that he was mated and he wasn’t letting any of them take that from him.

Except it had been too long. They all knew that Daryl’s mate was never going to turn up at this point and that he would be free to mate. The bond had been broken by time and distance and had been broken for awhile. His facade was crumbling down around him and Daryl had no where to turn. Alexandria had been like a safe haven when they came. Everyone was able to have their own space. They had running water, electricity, food. It was like a godsend, but far too similar to Woodbury and Terminus for Daryl’s taste, though everything seemed to work on a system here, much different the last two paradises. They even gave him his own space. It was a nice size house in between Rick’s family with Shane and Michonne. It was a location where Daryl felt safe, but that safety net was quickly diminishing. 

Alpha males could smell him from a distance now and they started showing up at his door. Some were nicer than others, but all of them ended up with a crossbow pointed at their heart. The point was made and they’d leave him alone. Some made a promise to come back, but they never were so bold. However, many men stood on the periphery of their neighborhood, silently watching him as he would go about his assigned work duties. It always seemed that an alpha from his original group was on duty with him. Daryl wasn’t sure how that had been worked out, but he thanked a God he wasn’t sure existed anymore each time an alpha got too close or too handsy. Being an omega it was extremely painful, difficult and against his biology to rip himself away from an alpha, especially now that his heats were taking over his life, so Rick, Shane, or Michonne would always tear them away from him with a loud growl and baring of teeth. A stout show of dominance and exactly which pack this omega belonged to.

This particular heat he was sure was about to kill him. Every door and window in his house was locked. All of the cracks were stuffed with towels, clothes, anything to keep the overwhelming scent of alpha out of the house. Daryl walked around and scented _everything_ so it would smell like him, needy, desperate omega. Wrapping himself in a blanket, he laid down on the sofa, wishing they had tvs so he could drown out the noise in his head. Instead, he just sat and shivered at his want. His body was aching with need, but he could survive this. He’d done it for the past year once his meds were gone. A soft knock came at the door. Daryl grunted, he wasn’t going to get up. He knew by the intense scent that it was Rick, available alpha and oh Daryl had fantasized about that man and Shane both over the course of the past year. Eventually most of the alpha men in his group had made it into his fantasies, but Rick and Shane were the constants. He could almost feel them on top of him now, power pressing him down into the couch, teeth and tongue dancing along his heated skin, a rough growl in his ear, and the hot, hard-

“Daryl? I know you can’t open the door for me but I wanted to make sure you’re ok. See if you had everything you needed or if there was something I could bring you,” Rick shouted from the other side of the door.

Daryl’s body flushed underneath the blanket; his hands clung to the fabric, willing his body to just sweat out his heat, but really, who was he kidding here? This was going to happen every month. He either needed suppressants or a mate. Suppressants were impossible to find. However potential mates were everywhere. He just had to choose. Rick would be a good mate, he reasoned with himself. He was kind, caring, a compassionate leader at all costs including murder, if it provided for the safety of his family. And he held Daryl in the highest regard with no care to his traditional omega role in society. He let him fight alongside him, trusted him, and gave him all rights as a full member of their little group.

Daryl hissed as Rick knocked again. “I have some food that we made that I can leave here on the doorstep. Don’t wantcha to go hungry. I know your heats have been on longer and longer recently. Not sure how much food you have in there but we’re always willing to share with you.”

Flipping the blanket open, he padded his way over to the door in his bare feet, pants sagging low on his hips with his t-shirt all bunched up above his pants line. Eying Rick through the door, he watched as the older man put a tupperware container on his porch swing and walk down the steps. Once he got to the sidewalk, he looked back at the house once before putting his hands in his pockets and walking back towards home. It took three hours for Daryl to gather the courage to open the door, collect the food, and rush back inside, relocking himself in his home.

That night Daryl lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Thoughts of the past year and a half ran through his mind. Shane had been a dick, though Daryl was fairly certain that was mostly because his brother was an asshole. Rick had always been diplomatic, or at least made every desperate attempt at being so. Shane followed in his footsteps and shadow, losing his mind briefly on the farm but a solid fist fight between the two alphas solved that problem.

_Diplomacy._

Daryl wondered if he could invite Rick inside when he came to knock the next day. If he could have him sit next to him on the couch and have a civil and adult conversation, asking him if he would be interested in being his alpha. What a fucking weird conversation. He felt so awkward at the thought. What if Rick said no? Would he ask Shane? That could be a possibility…

The next day, just like clockwork, Rick came knocking on the door, asking if there was anything Daryl needed. He knew the timing of the knock at this point. His body was on fire at the smell of the other man through the wood. Watching him walk up the sidewalk through the peephole, he felt like a creeper, but he wanted to judge his heart and his mind. Was he really in the right mindset to be making this decision? Did it matter? Omegas never really got to choose who their mate was in the first place. Why was he getting this opportunity? _Because Rick was letting him._ It made perfect sense. Everyone knew that if they messed with Daryl they had to answer to Rick and if Rick wasn’t around Shane would be and then you had to deal with both men. In essence, he already belonged to them. Why not just solidify it?

The click of the lock clearly startled Rick, concern lacing his face as Daryl poked his head out. “Daryl, ya shouldn’t be opening the door, not even for me.” His eyes darkened as the rich scent of omega in heat floated out to him from the home. Clasping and unclasping his hands at his side, he fought his own inner demons and biology. “Do you need something? Can I get you anything?”

“Can ya come in?” Daryl asked, opening the door a little wider. The alpha scent was overpowering, mixing between the entire community, but Rick’s was the strongest, right in front of him, especially as the scent changed as his arousal escalated.

Rick calmly closed his eyes, visibly trying to maintain himself. “I don’t think that’d be a good idea, Daryl.”

Daryl grunted and whined at the same time, his hands fidgeting with his belt, clearly unaware how to make this a demand of someone he considered his superior. “Please? Wantcha to… Need ta talk.”

Rick steeled himself before nodding once, calmly striding across the threshold and trying to hold his breath. The scent of omega in heat was obviously strong. Daryl was surprised that Rick hadn’t just taken him already. Closing the door behind him, Daryl locked it, just to be safe. “What do ya need? I can get it from supply.” His voice had dropped in tone, a slight rasp entering it.

“Nah, ya can’t.” Daryl’s whole demeanor shifted in his own mind and he hated it, but now he felt the connection and it felt right, _so right._ It was _natural_ to submit to this man and it was _okay_.

“Then I can find it. We’ll look for it.” Rick was clearly uncomfortable, but willing to do anything for this omega that he had protected for so long.

“Want ta ask ya somethin’,” he said quietly, shuffling his feet a little and mumbling his words, but Rick just nodded, waiting somewhat patiently for him to go on.

“Would ya… would ya be my alpha?” The words felt rushed, and they probably were. There was no couth way of saying it and truly, he wasn’t sure if there even was a couth way to ask someone to basically own them. He wasn’t even sure it was proper for an omega to proposition an alpha but hell… this was Rick.

“Daryl,” Rick’s breath was rushed as he backed up against the door. “Your heat is making you say things you might regret. I can’t-” He reached for the lock on the front door, but Daryl’s hand covered his own.

“Nah. I’ve thought about it. Ain’t no more suppressants. My mate is dead and gone and he was an ass to begin with. You… Yer someone I can support and ya help me.” There wasn’t much more that he hated in this world than expressing his emotions. He knew omegas were supposed to be emotional little bitches, but he was never that. He was a fucking Dixon and Dixon’s didn’t share feelings unless they involved anger or hatred.

Rick stood still for a moment, taking in the words that Daryl said, his hand still poised on the lock of the door. “You sure?” he asked, licking his lips. “It’d be a mate for life, Daryl. I wouldn’t abandon you.”

Daryl blushed, stepping closer to him, inhaling his scent deeply, letting it intoxicate his soul. “Ya don’t haveta convince me.” 

Rick opened his arms, pulling Daryl into his chest. The omega nestled against him, wrapping his arms around his waist and inhaling the deep, earthy scent of alpha, _his_ alpha. Rick growled softly as he nipped at his neck, just a hint of the mark to come. Running his hands down the taut back of the hunter, he pulled him in even closer, letting his body respond to the scent of the omega in his arms. “Did you have a place picked out?” he asked. If Daryl had been thinking about asking Rick to be his alpha, then it was a possibility that he had picked out a place to make it happen officially, even already to the point of nesting it.

“Bedroom,” he answered automatically. 

Rick released himself from Daryl’s grasp, walking them both towards the back of the house and into the master bedroom. The crossbow was hung over the footboard. Guns and knives were littered across the top of the dresser and chest of drawers. The heady scent of omega in heat filled Rick’s nostrils as he stepped into the room. Daryl had apparently scented this area of the house the most, trying to ward away any lingering alpha scent. The pheromones in that scent kicked his own hormones into overdrive. In any other instance he would have once again asked if it was okay, if Daryl was sure because this was a mate for life, not a quick fuck. Rick wasn’t going to just satisfy a need. Daryl had been in front of him for so long; his omega scent had surrounded him for over a year and he had stayed strong and resisted, knowing that Daryl had belonged to another man.

But now that was all out the door. They made quick work of each other’s clothes, shedding them down to the oak wood floors. Daryl’s heart beat loudly in his ears. This was so completely unlike his first time. His first time, he had been in the woods, moaning out his need, scenting everything around him, subconsciously calling out to all alphas in the area and one had answered. One had taken him down to the ground, ripped his clothes off, and the _pain_. He hadn’t been ready for that. 

Rick’s hands were completely sure of themselves as they slid along his body, caressing and loving. No, this time was completely different. Rick kissed up his spine as Daryl got on his hands and knees on the bed, keening out his need as he felt Rick’s legs against his. Those strong hands moved back down his body, spreading his asscheeks apart. He felt shame color his cheeks as his Rick’s tongue dipped into his wetness, moaning at its taste. Fingers quickly replaced the muscle as he sat up, taking his position behind his omega. “Are you ready, Daryl?”

Burying his face into a pillow, Daryl just shook his head yes. He was ready for the pain. He know what to expect, but it was none of what he thought it would be. Everything was completely different than the first time. The slick slide in felt like silk against his skin. Rick’s hands gliding against his back set his body on fire with need and desire. No, this time… this time Daryl was an active participant, not just someone being mated. They worked their bodies in rhythm, skin slapping skin mixed with a cacophony of moans and small whispers of encouragement. Daryl was ready for the knot this time, his body almost begging for the tightness inside. He felt it grow with each thrust until Rick’s cock was full seated inside his body, locked in place. Kisses were rained down on his shoulder as Daryl swam in the heady ocean of belonging, desire, _love_. Licking a small line down his throat, Rick picked his spot, moaning softly before leaving his mark. Daryl’s body exploded in pleasure as he felt the teeth sink into his skin. Light shone bright behind his eyelids as he felt arms wrap around his chest, holding him into place so his body spasms didn’t affect their knotting. _This,_ Daryl reasoned as he came down from his high, _this is what it feels like when you find your true alpha._

That night, as he lay curled into his alpha’s side, gently petting his chest, Daryl purred in contentment, though he would deny it ever happening. His hand kept going up and touching the claim mark, still not truly believing it was there. Rick lay beneath him, in the happy dream state between sleep and awake, his arm firmly wrapped around Daryl’s back. He wondered what life was going to be like now. He assumed it would be easier with the other alphas now knowing he was claimed, but at the same time Daryl was certain that there were a few alphas around who would just consider that a challenge. There were many betas as well who considered Rick an attractive partner. Being an omega did not mean much as far as relationships went in the old society. They were little more than a convenient and fun piece of submissive ass that could be treated as a fertile playground if the alpha so chose.

Would Rick want him to birth him a litter? Daryl knew it was in his biology, but he wasn’t certain that he even knew how to care for a group of kids. Little Asskicker was rough enough. _Fuck_... Rick’s kids. And Shane. What would happen now with all of them? Daryl wasn’t entirely certain the relationship the two alphas had, but he knew it could be very nurturing yet also very damning at the same time. The last thing he wanted to be was a wall built between them. 

None of that mattered yet. Rubbing his face along Rick’s chest, taking in as much of his alpha’s scent as he possibly could, Daryl let himself enjoy this moment. It was his christening really, a baptism of sorts. This was a new life for him, as Rick’s omega.


End file.
